Method of deburring and finishing



J y 27, 1954 w. G. BALZ ETAL METHOD OF DEBURRING AND FINISHING Filed March 15, 1951 Patented July 27, 1954 UNITED STAT ATENT OFFICE William G. Balz and Carl H. Castle, Kalamazoo, Micl1., assignors to Rota-Finish Company,

Kalamazoo, Mich.

Application March 15, 1951, Serial No. 215,664

11 Claims.

- This invention relates to improvements in a method of deburring and finishing.

The main objects of this invention are:

First, to provide a method of finishing which is well adapted for the deburring and finishing of various materials of various sizes and shapes and which enables the economical finishing thereof in a highly satisfactory manner.

Second, to provide a method of deburring and finishing metal parts of irregular shape in a satisfactory manner.

Third, to provide a method of finishing parts with aggregates such as have been employed in tumbling barrels and one in which the parts treated are not dented or injured by impact of one part with another.

Fourth, to provide a method of finishing parts which may be very economically practiced.

Objects relating to details and economies of the invention will appear from the description to follow. The invention is pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing we have illustrated a satisfactory apparatus for the commercial practice of our invention, certain parts of the apparatus being illustrated conventionally.

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view with parts broken away to more clearly disclose the structure.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view in section on a line corresponding to line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

The apparatus illustrated comprises a base i having a transmission housing 2 mounted thereon. An electric motor 3 is mounted at one end of the housing 2. A cylindrical tank t is mounted on the housing and is open at the top and adapted to receive the deburring and/or polishing material designated generally by the numeral 5. Work or parts to be finished are designated by the numeral 6 which in this instance are handles for automobile doors. It will be understood that in commercial practice a very great variety of parts are or may be treated. The tank 4 is open at the top to permit the carrier or work holder designated generally by the numeral 1 to be moved vertically to raise and lower the carrier to submerge the work in and lift it from the mass 5.

The annular carrier or support 8 having depending arms 9 is provided with work chucks convenitionally illustrated at ill for the parts or work 6. The carrier 8 is provided with a hub I2 which is of noncircular section and slidably engages the noncircular portion 53 of the driven rockshaft l which is connected by the sprocket chain it and gears I! to the shaft $8 of the motor. jThese driving connections are such as to operate the carrier with an oscillating or reciprocating movement.

The carrier 8 is raised and lowered to submerge the work in the finishing aggregate 5 by means or" the tackle 19 connected to the carrier through the fleixble hanger 26. The polishing material 5 is conventionally shown but may desirably be a mass of fractured mineral fragments of irregular sizes and shapes. Fractured stone fragments ranging in long dimension from 1 to 2 produce satisfactory results. The abrasive fragments are submerged in a liquid having suitable lubricating and cleaning qualities.

The work parts 6 are mounted on the carrier arms 9 in groups, the parts of the groups being vertically aligned and mounted on the chucks in relatively fixed relation. The arms 9 or the carrier are angularly spaced and are fixed relative to each other. With the mass of aggregate fragments submerged in the liquid, the carrier with the work mounted thereon is lowered to submerge the work in the mass as is shown in the drawings and the carrier oscillated. The length of the oscillatin or reciprocating strokewhile substantial is shorter than or less than will in-, duce a substantial flow of the mass in the direction of travel of the parts as they are translated through the mass. This results in a maximum abrasive or finishing action of the finishing material on the work as the work is translated through the finishing material instead of the work and finishing material traveling together.

As the work is continuously submerged while being translated or moved relative to the finishing mass, the parts are very rapidly finished. It will be understood that the time factor depends on the character of. the finish desired and the character of the Work, that is, whether it is relatively hard or relatively soft and the character of the finishing material affects the time factor; however, the applicants method is advantageous from these standpoints or from all of these factors.

Another advantage is that if it is desired to inspect the work, it may be lifted from the aggregate and when thus mounted, the parts may be inspected. If further finishing is required, the work may be lowered into the mass.

We have illustrated and described a satisfactory apparatus for the practice of my method. We have not illustrated or described other apparatus as it is believed that this disclosure will enable those skilled in the art to successfully practice our method as particular conditions may require.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Fatent is:

1. The method of finishing parts comprising steps of supporting a mass of abrasive aggregate with the mass submerged in a liquid in a cylindrically walled container, supporting the parts to be treated in a plurality of spaced groups, the parts constituting a group being supported in vertically aligned spaced substantially fixed relation relative to each other, and submerging the groups of parts in the mass of abrasive aggregate and while submerged simultaneously oscillating the groups through an arcuate path the stroke of oscillation being less than 360.

2. The method of finishing parts comprising the steps of supporting a mass of abrasive material, supporting the parts to be treated in a plurality of spaced groups, the parts constituting a group being supported in vertically aligned spaced substantially fixed relation relative to each other, and submerging the groups of parts in the mass of abrasive material and while sub merged simultaneously oscillating with a stroke of substantial but insunicient length to induce asubstantial travel of the abrasive material in the direction of travel of the parts treated.

3. The method of finishing parts comprising the steps of supporting a mass of abrasive aggregate in a cylindrical tank open at the top with the mass submerged in liquid, supporting a plurality of parts to be finished in angularly spaced relatively fixed relation, and submerging the parts in the mass and while submerged oscillating the parts in an arcuate path concentric with the wall of the tank and with a stroke of substantial length but of insufiicient length to induce a substantial flow of the mass in the direction of the travel of the parts as they are translated through the mass.

4. The method of finishing parts comprising the steps of supporting a mass oi fractured mineral fragments with the fragments submerged in liquid, supporting a plurality of parts to be finished in spaced relatively fixed relation, and submerging the parts in the mass and while submerged oscillating the parts with a stroke of substantial length but of insufiicient length to induce a substantial flow of the mass in the direction of the travel of the parts as they are translated through the mass.

5. The method of treating parts comprising the steps of confiningly supporting a of fractured ston fragments, submerging the parts to be treated in the mass while mounted on a 1 carrier in a plurality of spaced groups, the parts constituting each group being spaced relative to each other and in a relatively fixed relation to the group, and imparting a reeiprocatory movement to the carrier and the parts carried there- 5 by while the parts are submerged in the mass with a stroke or substantial but insufficient length to induce a substantial travel of the mass in the direction of travel of the parts.

6. The method of finishing parts comprising the steps of confiningly supporting a mass of abrasive material, supporting a plurality of parts to be treated in relatively fixed spaced relation to each other, submerging the parts in the abrasive mass and while submerged repeatedly oscillatingly translating the parts in a predetermined path through the mass of abrasive material with a stroke of substantial but of insufiicient length to produce a substantial travel of the abrasive mass in the direction of travel of the parts through the abrasive material.

7. The method of finishing parts comprising the steps of confiningly supporting a mass of abrasive material comprising fractured mineral fragments of varying sizes and shapes submerged in a liquid, mounting the part to be finished on a carrier and submerging th part mounted on the carrier in the abrassive mass, and while the part is submerged repeatedly reciprocating the carrier and translating the part carried thereby in a predetermined path through the mass of abrasive material with a stroke of substantial but of insufficient length to induce substantial travel or" the abrasive mass in the direction of travel of the part as it is translated through the mass.

8. The method of finishing parts comprising the steps of confiningly supporting a mass of abrasive material comprising fractured mineral fragments, mounting the part to be finished on a carrier and submerging the part mounted on the carrier in the abrasive mass, and while the part is submerged repeatedly reciprocating the carrier and reciprocatingly translating the part in a predetermined path through the mass of abrasive material with a stroke of substantial but of insufficient length to induce substantial travel of the abrasive mass in the direction of travel of the part as it translated through the mass.

9. The method of finishing parts comprising the steps of confiningly supporting a mass of abrasive material, supporting th part to be finished on a carrier and submerging that part so supported in the abrasive mass, and while the part is submerged reciprocating the carrier and reciprocatingly translating the part to be finished carried thereby through the mass of abrasive material in a predetermined path with a stroke of substantial length but insufi'icient length to induce the substantial travel of the abrasive in the direction of travel of the part as it is translated through the mass.

is. The method of finishing parts comprising the steps of confiningly supporting an abrasive mass, supporting a part to be finished in submerged relation to the abrasive mass, and while submerged repeatedly reciprocatingly translating the part in a predetermined path through the abrasive mass with alternating direction strokes, the strokes being of substantial length but of insufficient length to induce substantial travel of the abrasive mass in the direction of travel of the part.

11. The method of finishing parts comprising the steps of confiningly supporting a mass of chiplike fragments and submerging the parts to be treated in the mass and while submerged repeatedly reciproeatingly translating the parts through the mass in a predetermined path with a stroke of substantial linear length but of sufficient length to substantially overcome the inertia of the mass to induce substantial fiow thereof in the direction of travel of the parts as they are reciprocatingly translated through the mass.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,178,828 Spellman Apr. 11, 1916 1,512,350 McCorkle et al. Oct. 21, 1924 2,425,640 Pruitt et a1. Aug. 12, 1947 2,550,630 Whitehead Apr. 24, 1951 2,589,782 Creek Mar. 18, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 13,834 Great Britain July 17, 1893 

